22-April-2013
Memories of The Boston Marathon and Other Bombings
by Melvin W. Smith
The best commentary that I have encountered about the terrible ending of the race last Monday in Boston is written by one of my favorite sports writers, Dave Zirin. His piece, “The Boston Marathon: All My Tears, All My Love,” in The Nation magazine* reminded me of the special essence that the Marathon has come to represent: a promotion of international community, municipal pride, and determined individual human struggle which has become far more inclusive through the years. Indeed, a matter of special attention and pride for me since 1988 is that the vast majority of front runners and winners have been African.
As an unofficial photographer at the Boston Marathon many years ago (1977 or 78, as I recall) I managed throughout the day to view the Marathon at various points along the route by riding a bicycle through the city, sometimes seeing the same runners at different locations as they progressed toward the finish. I remember one runner, most of all—obviously not a serious competitor for top honors, but a celebrant of dashing style—who wore a bison headdress in the likeness of a Native American Blackfoot, perhaps, of the Great Plains region more than a century earlier. Did he wear it for the entire race? I don’t know, but I know that I saw him more than once during the day, as I was hard pressed on the bike to get ahead of the runners, if only slightly. (Of course, I had to ride somewhat roundabout, not on as straight a course as the runners ran.) A few times, after I had reached another spot with a good view of the passing racers, the bison-head guy would come striding by . . . again. I took lots of photos that day, but almost all of the pictures—slides, negatives (the various formats of that time) and prints— have been lost. This was my first and only attendance at the Marathon . Although I have watched live TV coverage and news accounts of later marathons, the memory and some of the feel of that first one remain.
I agree with Zirin about the special meaning of the Boston Marathon, and I understand his lamenting the scarring of it by the street bomb attack. He is also correct in citing other, more uplifting history and essence of the Marathon . However, as our sympathy is extended to the injured and to the survivors of the dead, we are mindful of the real new world that has been created by the undue greed, hate, violence and militarism of the West—the empire of Europe and North America, today led by USA. Thus, we should mourn also for the bomb victims—many by drone missiles—in Somalia, Yemen and other human locales targeted by our own nation’s leaders.
Is the US public now faced with the increased prospect blowback? Are chickens coming home to roost? Or, are the masters of the empire attempting to instigate fear among the public for the purpose of more easily implementing their agenda of achieving the declared Full Spectrum Dominance worldwide? Please observe, in this context, the US increased acts of “humanitarian intervention” and military encroachment, especially in Africa (via NATO and AFRICOM, including the invasion and regime change in Libya), the deadly meddling in Syria , and the steady clamor to launch new wars on defiant nations such as Iran and North Korea .
The axiom “Might Makes Right” appears to be an all-American (rather, all-USA) slogan today. Aside from a theoretical appeal to “justice, US citizens largely learn to admire and respect the rule of crude power. Thus, the largest military machine in human history goes unchecked, even in the face of claims about national budgetary shortages, fiscal cliffs, and such. When the money is tight (having been stolen and either secreted away or squandered by Wall Street’s big-time gamblers, for example) the immediate solution posed is always to cut social services, especially those services available to the masses, including public education. The cries of balancing the budget never, ever point to the segment of the federal budget devoted to war-readiness and war-making—the so-called defense budget— as an obvious source of funds to be diverted toward peaceful social maintenance and development. No, no, no, the patriot-citizens object. Any such suggestion is entirely off the table (again), because the so-called Defense budget is sacred in this USA.
The vast, obscene wealth devoted to US war-making also includes non-budgeted covert projects like CIA. Furthermore, private industrial enterprises like Lockheed Martin and Boeingare engaged in major Defense contracts, all of which comprise a significant contribution to the US economy. The industrial might of the US is one of the central factors in its superiority in armaments. US factories and laboratories produce every type of weapon and combat supply known to humankind, and these are produced in super-enormous quantities. US stockpiles of weapons become a liability to their investors unless they are consumed somehow. The capitalist system actually depends on high levels of consumption (demand) in order to satisfy its products (supply). Supply and demand, right? Thus, along with the supposed geopolitical gains and psychological uplift for a supposed “ American Way of Life,” the weapons must be used on somebody. Consumed, you know. Now, let’s see; who’s next?
The USA , indeed, is a war monger nation. My God, what would happen to us if Peace should break out? some citizen-patriots have been suspected of thinking. According to the objective conditions of US culture and economy, Peace cannot be afforded. Accordingly, if we citizen-patriots cannot afford to make Peace (as in “The path to Peace is peace!”), then probably we do not deserve peace. There will be a reckoning. Blowback is to be expected.
Nevertheless, as the American Dream bubble bursts, we must continue to advocate for one human family—as from within my own pan-African perspective—striving together toward solutions for all. We should not allow fear to break the celebrations of such. I agree, again, with Dave Zirin that the Boston Marathon not be characterized by this recent dreadful incident, but I insist on demanding of fellow US citizens and our governments a genuine effort toward peace outside of the official rituals of sport and entertainment. A rejection of militarism and imperialism is required. Can we attempt to do it? If we can, will we?
--Melmanjaro
